Lamp-rotating clamp for attachment to tubular lamps



R. T. RIKER ET AL June 14, 1949.

LAMP ROTATING CLAMP FOR ATTACHMENT T0 TUBULAR LAMPS Filed Dec; 14, 1945Patented June 14, 1949 LAM'E ROTATIN'G CLAMP FOR ATTACHMENT T TUBULARLAMPS Robert. '1... Biker and Joseph H; Molat,

New York, N.

Applicationiliecember 14; 1945, Serial No. 635,128.

8.-v Claims...

(Grantedunder the act of; March. .3, 18.83,. as 1 amended'April" 30;1928;. 3-70 0. G. 7:5'2)

This invention relates in general to. a clamp for use in-rotating'tubular fittings, and in particular to such a device for use inconnection with fluorescent light fixtures. located in elevated posi'-'tions or in other positionsthat are inaccessible I Since-the fluorescentlight fixtures are often l'o cated in elevated positions or 'inother'positions inaccessible to the hand; a'l'amp changer, such as thatdescribed in my copending application, Serial No. 635,130, filedDecember 14-, 1945-, is often used to eliminatethe necessity ofstepsladders, staging or scaffolds. While in some instances lampchangers are-providedwith means for both grasping androtatingthefluorescent. lamp ortube suchdevices are/oftentoo bulky to be insertedin the limited space provided in-some fixtures. It is often. desirable,therefore, to use argripping device, such as that described in'myabove-identified copending application, which can be inserted into afixture: having limited space and to use some auxiliary means then torotatethe fluorescent. tube.

It is. an objectot this-invention, therefore, to pmvide. such. atubevtwisting :or rotating de- V1092:

It. is a further object to provid adevioe that enables thetube torlbeerotated only through such anyangle as is; necessary properly to align.the. contact. pinsof: a. fluoresnenirtube scrthat the tube; can; beremoved.

Further objects and advantages. of inven tion, as well as itsconstruction, arramement and: operatiom; are; apparent: fromtheiollowing.

description. and claims in. connection witl rthe'. ac I companying.drawing; in which;

Fig; 1. is an; end. view showing-poi the claim-.1

embodying this inventionupona. fluorescent tube;

2 prises a ring-shaped clamp ill, of suitable resilient material:adapted' to: be clipped or inserted upon a tube. l I inapproximately'the position shown in Fig; 2, and securedxthereonby anysuitable means such. as a'bolt lz'and nut. l4 through a. holeinprojecting ears l G'. The-clamp Irll; is further pro.- vided withhook-shaped projections 18 and; [9 spaced on the peripl-ierythereofapproximately: one: quarterand one; half. wayrespectivel-y around theclampfrom the-projecting'ears? l6. .Substane tially midway arounditheiperiphery of the: clamp H) between the projecting. ears" lid andhook I9 is: a projecting memher'zlli' referred to hereinafter as alimit/stop; The. limit stop; 20 and nearestprojecting ear l6.arevslightlvgreater than'90 apart fora reason. that apparent fromthedescription of the operation: followingz;

Figs. 1 and 2 .show the clamp Ill: in position upon a. fluorescent tube;lI-I having: the conventional contact pins 24.. Theclamp ill'isso placedupon the tube that. a. plane: through thelongia tud-inal axis of thetube and; through projecting ears l6 andtheopposing projecting element.hook; I9 is just out of vertical alignment with th con-- tact pins 24..When the clamp-is so: placed the projecting elements leand 'l'9- are inthe. posi-- tion shown; in. Fig. 3 when. the; tube isproperly assembled;in. the fixture,- that is, element. is projects substantially"horizontally from the clamp it while element [8. projects substantiallvertically downward.

Fig. 3 shows a fluorescent. lamp-fixture 26 having, a. socket:attachment 28 secured thereto in the conventional: manner bymeans of abolt 3e spaced slightly inward. from its end. The clamp I0 is; placedupon'the fluorescent tube" H sothat when: the tube H is in its properposition in socket- Z8: either'thelimit. stop 20 or one of the,project'- ing ears l6 contacts thehead of the bolt 30; If; the lampfixture does not; contain such a bolt, one can, be provided or theprojectingelements can be made. ofrsuch dimensions as: to engage thebase of the fixtureitselfl. It is assumed that the tube H and clamn'l'll are .in'assembledposition- A in Fig. 3.- with the contact pins.horizontally dis? anyconvenient.implementv such; as; a hook upon.

the end of." a. long: shaft; thentube is rotated; 9.0; oneoi'the ears1:6 contacts the head of:

the. bolt; 30;. stopping. the. tube H .in' the proper position to enablit to be withdrawn from its sockets.

In replacing the tube the reverse procedure is employed. The tube isinserted with the lamp changer and then rotated by pulling on elementl8. When the proper degree of rotation is efiected limit stop 20contacts bolt head 30 and the tube is properly positioned within itssockets.

The device of this invention thus very effectively solves the problem ofremoving fluorescent tubes from remotely located light fixtures.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes can bemade in this invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof as set forth in the appended claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

1. A lamp-rotating device for attachment to elongated lamps of the typeinterlocked and released from their fixtures by rotation of the lampabout its longitudinal axis, comprising a ringshaped clamp adapted to bepositioned on said elongated lamp, 2. pair of projecting lugs upon saidclamp, means connecting said lugs for securing said clamp to said lamp,a pair of hooks positioned upon the periphery of said clamp facing inopposite directions whereby said clamp and tube can be rotated in eitherdirection, and a projecting element upon the periphery of the clampspaced from said hooks and said lugs, said projecting element and saidlugs being adapted to cooperate With said fixture to limit the degree ofrotation of said clamp and tube to approximately 90 degrees within saidfixture and said hooks being spaced relative to said lugs and projectingelement to extend substantially horizontally outward and substantiallyvertically downward respectively from said clamp when said tube andclamp are at one limit of rotation within said fixture.

2. A lamp-rotating device for attachment to an elongated lamp of thetype interlocked and released from a fixture by rotation of the lampabout its longitudinal axis, said device comprising a ring-shaped clampadapted to be positioned on an elongated lamp, a pair of projecting lugsupon said clamp, means connecting said lugs for fixedly securing saidclamp to the lamp, a pair of hooks positioned upon the periphery of saidclamp facing in opposite directions whereby said clamp and thesupporting lamp may be rotated in either direction, and a projectingelement upon the periphery of said clamp spaced from said hooks and saidlugs, said projecting element and said lugs being adapted to cooperatewith the fixture to limit the degree of rotation of said clamp and thesupporting lamp to approximately 90 degrees relative to the fixture, andsaid hooks being spaced relative to said lugs and projecting element toextend substantially horizontally outward and substantially verticallydownward respectively from said clamp when said clamp and the supportinglamp are at one limit of rotation relative to the fixture, said lugs andprojecting element being on one side of a plane including the lamp axis,said hooks being on' the other side of the plane.

3. A device for attachment to a lamp of the type adapted for rotation ina fixture between limits, said device comprising a clamp adapted to befixedly secured about the periphery of a lamp, means for fixedlysecuring said clamp to the lamp and including a portion forming aprojection on the periphery of said clamp, a pair of hooks on theperiphery of said clamp facing in opposite directions whereby said clampand the supporting lamp may be rotated in either direction, and a secondprojection on the periphery of said clamp, said projections beingadapted to cooperate with the fixture to limit rotation of said clampand. the lamp, said hooks being arranged to extend one substantiallyhorizontally and the other substantially vertically downward from saidclamp when the latter is at a limit of rotation, said projections beingon one side of a plane including the lamp axis, said hooks being on theother side of the plane.

4. A device for attachment to a lamp of the type adapted for rotation ina fixture between limits, said device comprising a clamp adapted to befixedly secured about the periphery of a lamp,

means for fixedly securing said clamp to the lamp, a plurality ofprojections extending outwardly from the periphery of said clamp, saidprojections being adapted to cooperate with the fixture to limitrotation of said clamp and the lamp, two of said projections beingarranged to extend one substantially horizontally and the othersubstantially vertically downward from said clamp when the latter is ata limit of rotation, said two of said projections being on one side of aplane including the lamp axis, the other two projections being on theother side of the plane.

5. A device for attachment to a lamp of the type adapted for rotation ina fixture between limits, said device comprising a clamp adapted to befixedly secured about the periphery of a lamp, means for fixedlysecuring said clamp to the lamp, a plurality of projections extendingoutwardly from the periphery of said clamp, said projections beingadapted to cooperate with the fixture to limit rotation of said clampand the lamp, two of said projections being exposed and spaced apart anangular distance corresponding to the angle of rotation of said clampand the lamp between their limits, said two of said projections being onone side of a plane including the lamp axis, the other two projectionsbeing on the other side of the plane.

6. A device for attachment to a lamp of the type adapted for rotation ina fixture, said device comprising a clamp adapted to be fixedly securedabout the periphery of a lamp, means for fixedly securing said clamp toa lamp, and four projections extending substantially radially outwardfrom the periphery of said clamp, said projections being located on saidclamp at approximately degree intervals, two of said projections inadjacent rotation forming hooks each of which has a terminal portionextending in a direction away from the other hook, said two of saidprojections being on one side of a plane including the lamp axis, theother two projections being on the other side of the plane.

7. A device for attachment to a lamp of thetype adapted for rotation ina fixture, said device comprising a clamp adapted to be fixedly securedabout the periphery of a lamp, means for fixedly securing said clamp toa lamp and a pair of hooks extending from the periphery of said clamp,said hooks being exposed and spaced apart an angular distancecorresponding to the angle of rotation of said clamp and the lampbetween their limits, each hook having a stem portion disposedsubstantially radially with respect to said clamp and an offset terminalportion extending in a direction away from the other hook.

8. A lamp-rotating device for attachment to elongated lamps of the typeinterlocked and released from their fixtures by rotation of the lampabout its longitudinal axis, comprising a ring shaped clamp adapted tobe positioned on said elongated lamp, a pair of projecting lugs uponsaid clamp, means connecting said lugs for securing said clamp to saidlamp, a pair of hooks positioned upon the periphery of said clamp facingin opposite directions whereby said clamp and tube can be rotated ineither direction, and a projecting element upon the periphery of theclamp spaced from said hooks and said lugs, said projecting element andsaid lugs being adapted to cooperate with said fixture to limit thedegree of rotation of said clamp and tube to a predetermined anglewithin said fixture and said hooks being spaced relative to said lugsand pro- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 953,707 Pearce Apr. 5, 19102,360,396 Carney Oct. 17, 1944 2,367,003 Carson Jan. 9, 1945

